Menshejjen
Information Menshejjen is an auxiliary language targeted at international communication. It is an attempt on a language that is simple and functional yet with the possibility of more complex constructions. One of the main characteristics of Menshejjen is the existence of levels of language regarding the amount of detail of information contained in sentences. One may use sentences as simple as (1) "Me Tarzan" and as complex as (2) "I have been given the name Tarzan", depending on user preference. The challenge of the language is to allow that someone that has learned the language only at the level shown in (1) to understand even sentences built at the level shown in (2). Phonology The language phonology is simple, aiming both at clearness and ease of pronunciation. Vowels Menshejjen vowels are the following: *a or *e or *i or *o or *u or *y * The schwa ( ) is used exclusively in suffixes. Consonants Menshejjen uses the following consonants: * p * t * k * b * d * g * f * s * ʃ * v * z * ʒ * m * n * ɾ or r * l * j * w * h or x * ʔ Voiced stops b d g v z may appear exclusively in roots The glottal stop ʔ appears only in syllables beginning or ending with a vowel, to avoid linking with a previous or following consonant or the misinterpretation of a i or u as a semivowel, respectively j and w. Examples: *'di-jəs' is pronounced , to make clear it is di-jəs and not dij-əs, which would br pronounced . *'fa zu a hep' is pronounced to avoid interpretation as faz wa hep which would be . Rhythm also plays an important role in disambiguation, but the glottal stop is used as a redundant "security" measure. Syllable and Word Structure Syllables are of the type ©V©. Syllables consisting only in a vowel are used only in suffixes. Roots are almost completely monosyllabic. Words consist generally in a monosyllabic root or a combination of roots (compound words) that may be followed by one or more suffixes. Stress falls on the word root. Rhythm An important feature of Menshejjen is rhythm. Sentences are spoken in a "binary" rhythm consisting in an accented "beat" followed by an unaccented "beat". The strong "beats" are reserved for word roots, while the weak "beats" are used for suffixes. If one uses the lowest level of the language, with few or no suffixes, then a sentence consists in a rhythmic sequence of stresed syllables separated by pauses. Syllables in a strong beat (basically word roots) tend to be pronounced a bit longer than those in weak beats (affixes). Syllable length is not definite, but is molded on-the-fly in order to keep the sentence rhythm. Some examples: (1: strong beat; 2: weak beat) Syllables in a strong beat must be pronounced very clearly, while syllables in weak beats may be overlooked and even left out. The language is structured in a way that a meaning (or at least something that is never too far from the desired meaning) is conveyed even if the particles are left out or if the listener could not get all of the particles. This is what accounts for what is called the levels of the language. The previous sentences without the particles are still valid sentences in the language and can be properly understood and, even if other possibilities of interpretation may appear, we never get far from the original meaning: Further clarification may be provided by context information such as the conversation topic, gestures, previous explanations and so on. This is intended to be a language feature rather than some kind of laziness. Grammar is essential for a complete understanding. This flexibility is to make sure that the information, or at least a considerable part of it, is conveyed even in the case of the whole message not being transmitted (in the case of noise or of a speaker not completely familiar with the language, for example). Morphology Nouns Number The notion of number is indicated by means of the following suffixes: *'''-kəl': null (indicates zero quantity) *'-mə': singular (indicates a single unit) *'-ʃə': dual (indicates a pair) *'-nən': plural Examples: *'jen''' "language" *'jen-mə' "one language" *'jen-kəl' "no language" *'jen-ʃə' "two languages" *'jen-nən': "languages" Definition The suffix '-tə' makes a noun definite: *'jen-tə' "the language" *'jen-mə-tə' "one (specific) language" *'jen-ʃə-tə' "the two languages" *'jen-nən-tə': "the languages" Case There are no cases properly speaking, but the following suffixes indicate syntactic or semantic functions: *'''-jəs': possession, ownership (genitive) *'-kəm': indirect object (dative) Examples: *'shej-tə-jəs jen''' "language of the world" *'shej-mə-tə-jəs jen-tə' "the language of the only world" Adjectives Adjectives receive the suffix '-əj' and are placed before nouns: *'paj-əj has' "a white house" *'Has-tə a paj-əj.' "The house is white." Pronouns Personal Personal pronouns are as follows: *1s ka "I" *2s te "thou", "you (s.)" *3s po "he", "she", "it" *1p my "we" *2p zu "you (p.)" *3p di "they" These are used as subject, object or any other nominal function. Ex.: *'ka-jəs has' "my house" *'Kek-tə a te-kəm.' "The cake is for you." *'My a hep-əj.' "We are happy." Possessive Possessive pronouns simply the personal pronouns with the possessive suffix: *1s ka-jəs "my", "mine" *2s te-jəs "thy", "your (s.)", "thine", "yours (s.)" *3s po-jəs "his", "her", "hers", "its" *1p my-jəs "our", "ours" *2p zu-jəs "your (p.)", "yours (p.)" *3p di-jəs "their", "theirs" They may come before or after nouns: *'ka-jəs has', has ka-jəs "my house" A noun modified by a possessive may be accompanied by the definite article as well: *'ka-jəs has-tə', has-tə ka-jəs "my house" *'te-jəs gow-nən-tə', gow-nən-tə te-jəs "your dogs" Syntax Vocabulary You can see the complete list of Menshejjen roots here. Sample Texts Category:Conlangs